Chapter 2 of The Little Schoolmaster Mark is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Little Schoolmaster Mark is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes. "The silence of heaven! What, then, are its words?" "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell. I can hear its silence, but not its voice."
Chapter 2 of The Little Schoolmaster Mark is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading “"Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.”
a rude or vulgar fool
From this reading “"Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.”
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “"The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.”
attach a tag or label to
From this reading “"The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.”
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading “"Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.”
unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
From this reading “"Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “"Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.”
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading “"Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What, then, are its words?"
on the far side of; further than
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can hear its silence, but not its voice."
a rude or vulgar fool
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading I can hear its silence, but not its voice."
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading "The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can hear its silence, but not its voice."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading What, then, are its words?"
attach a tag or label to
From this reading "The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I can hear its silence, but not its voice."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading "The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading "The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.
unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
express in words
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading What, then, are its words?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Ah! that," said the old clown, smiling, but with a sad slowness in his speech, "is beyond me to tell.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading I can hear its silence, but not its voice."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What, then, are its words?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "The silence of heaven!" said Mark, with open eyes.
the words that are spoken
From this reading What, then, are its words?"
Chapter 2 of The Little Schoolmaster Mark by J. H. (Joseph Henry) Shorthouse holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 403 sentences of The Little Schoolmaster Mark, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Little Schoolmaster Mark by J. H. (Joseph Henry) Shorthouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Little Schoolmaster Mark by J. H. (Joseph Henry) Shorthouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1607 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33401 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33401, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 133 minutes of reading across 322 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Little Schoolmaster Mark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Little Schoolmaster Mark to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Little Schoolmaster Mark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
